Who Am I?

‘Who Am I?’ is a collaborative project led by charity Leaps and Bounds, funded primarily by Arts Council England and involving a range of partners including the RSA, Birmingham City University and the Library of Birmingham.

The project asked young people aged 16-19 to explore through photography, painting, drawing and poetry the concepts of citizenship, heritage and identity to answer what it means to them to live in England today. It aimed to celebrate the many voices, languages and cultural influences alive in Birmingham and the Black Country.

Through a series of workshops the young people engaged with a team of professional artists to explore and develop this concept through their own ideas.

From this work a exhibition was created to showcases their interpretation of this concept.There has been richness within both the ethnic backgrounds of the young people and in the variety of environments from which they come. One of the students really made it all worthwhile saying:

“I am really looking forward to the exhibition. I think it will be a great experience and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being part of the project. It has really inspired me and taken me on a journey of self-discovery.”

There is a wide range of artworks in the exhibition and they show real credit on the all those young people that have demonstrated the determination to be part of the journey.The exhibition premiered at the Library of Birmingham on 22nd January 2014 and will tour around various regional venues until July 2014.